Mcintosh MC2250 "Darth Vader" Amplifier - Under 500 In Existence

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This is a rather rare MC2250 which had low production numbers of 499 total (!) produced back in the mid-1980's.

It's just the second MC2250 we've ever seen at the shop and we were quite impressed. 

It features that typical McIntosh warm sweet sound along with vintage cosmetics rather than glass/meters. A perfect match for a C22 or other preamp with a champagne faceplate. Simply let us know if you want help picking one for your system. 

Extremely clean and working perfectly.  Lightly serviced including control cleaning and new bulbs. Needed nothing else.

*The pictured minty original wood case with the original intact McIntosh "Walnut" sticker is not included by default. Please be sure to click the wood case option (no panlocks) at the bottom of the listing if you want one. Otherwise this will ship without a wood case.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects

Kimber Kable - Speaker Cables

The SkyFi Testing Process for Solid State Amplifiers:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure there are no signs of stress or aging. Capacitors are checked for telltale sings of bulging or leaking, resistors are checked for signs of overheating or cracking, and transistors are checked for signs of stress or damage.

We then power up the unit carefully and run a simple 1k sine wave while monitoring the output on an oscilloscope for signs of distortion or noise. Finally, we run the amplifier to its full rated power into the appropriate resistive load provided by our Sencore amplifier tester. If there is an issue, it will usually be noticeable at this point. If everything reads clean, we will often test for THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) measured by our Keithley distortion meter, and compare it against the original manufacturers specifications. The amplifier then remains powered on to "burn in" on our test bench for a few hours to make sure there are no heat related issues. If there are balanced inputs available they will be also be tested.

Final testing involves pushing actual music thorough the amplifier. We've learned over time that some issues are only noticeable to a trained ear while listening to familiar source material. Our test bench has reference vintage KEF speakers that we're very familiar with which quickly reveal any discrepancies. Some amplifiers will then move into our listening room where they are tested with our in-house reference speakers of choice.

Technical Specifications:

PERFORMANCE
Mclntosh audio power ratings are in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Regulation of November 4, 1974 concerning power output claims for amplifiers used in home entertainment products.

POWER OUTPUT
STEREO
250 watts minimum sine wave continuous average power output, per channel, both channels operating into 1 ohm, 2 ohms, 4 ohms, or 8 ohms load impedance, which is:
15.8 volts RMS across 1 ohm
22.4 volts RMS across 2 ohms
31.6 volts RMS across 4 ohms
44.7 volts RMS across 8 ohms

MONO
500 watts minimum sine wave continuous average power output into 0.5 ohm, 1 ohm, 2 ohms, 4 ohms, 8 ohms, or 16 ohms load impedance, which is:
15.8 volts RMS across 0.5 ohm
22.4 volts RMS across 1 ohm
31.6 volts RMS across 2 ohms
44.7 volts RMS across 4 ohms
63.2 volts RMS across 8 ohms
89.4 volts RMS across 16 ohms

OUTPUT LOAD IMPEDANCE
STEREO
1 ohm, 2 ohms, 4 ohms, and 8 ohms; separate terminals are provided for each output.
MONO-PARALLEL
0.5 ohm, 1 ohm, 2 ohms, and 4 ohms; obtained by connecting together the appropriate terminals of both channels.
MONO-BRIDGED
2 ohms, 4 ohms, 8 ohms, or 16 ohms, balanced to common connections.

RATED POWER BAND
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION
STEREO
0.02% maximum harmonic distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to 250 watts per channel from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, both channels operating.
MONO
0.02% maximum harmonic distortion at any power level from 250 milliwatts to 500 watts from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

INTERMODULATION DISTORTION
STEREO
0.02% maximum if instantaneous peak power out- put is 500 watts or less per channel with both channels operating for any combination of frequencies, 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
MONO
0.02% maximum if instantaneous peak power out- put is 1000 watts or less for any combination of frequences, 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE (at one watt output)
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz +0 -0.25 dB.
10 Hz to 100,000 Hz + 0.25 - 1 dB.

NOISE AND HUM
95 dB below rated output.

DAMPING FACTOR
Greater than 30

INPUT IMPEDANCE
50,000 ohms.

INPUT SENSITIVITY
Switchable: 0.75 volt or 2.5 volts—level control provided for higher input voltages.

POWER GUARD
Clipping is prevented and THD does not exceed 2% with up to 20 dB overdrive at 1 KHz.

POWER REQUIREMENTS
120 volts 50/60 Hz 0.7 to 12 amps.

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPLEMENT
76 silicon transistors
37 silicon rectifiers and diodes
9 integrated circuits

SIZE
Front panel measures 16 inches wide (40.7 cm) by 6-31/32 inches high (17.7 cm). Chassis measures 14-9/16 inches wide (37 cm) by 6-1/2 inches high (16.5 cm) by 14-1/2 inches deep (36.8 cm), including connectors. Knob clearance required is 1 inch (2.5 cm) in front of mounting panel

FINISH
Front panel is anodized gold. Chassis is chrome and black

WEIGHT
80 pounds (36.3 kg) net
94 pounds (42.6 kg) in shipping carton